Authorities have removed 519 overseas Filipino workers from cramped and unsafe lodging across Metro Manila, part of an enforcement drive that has shuttered 24 unlicensed accommodation facilities since June 2026.
The closures were carried out by the Department of Migrant Workers–National Capital Region (DMW-NCR), which flagged the shuttered sites for conditions it described as unfit for human habitation. Workers staying in these facilities were awaiting overseas placement when inspectors intervened.
Under the department’s rules, licensed private recruitment agencies bear responsibility for providing lawful and adequate interim housing to the workers they process. Facilities operating without registration fall outside that legal framework, giving regulators grounds to enter, examine, and close them.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac pointed to the agency’s authority to act once violations surface. “If the accommodation is not registered, it is illegal. Therefore, we can come in and inspect. And if the condition is inhumane, mayroon tayong awtoridad na ipasara,” he said.
Cacdac credited the DMW-NCR’s stepped-up schedule of welfare visits, inspections, and closures with safeguarding the health and safety of migrant workers during the period before they leave the country. He stressed the need to shield OFWs from hazardous and poorly maintained quarters while deployment is still pending.
The campaign reflects a broader push by the department to expand protection and welfare programs for migrant workers and their households, following the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to prioritize the well-being of Filipinos working abroad.
